Very Exclusive Gadgets & Gizmos

You don’t see too many removable GPS units that can boast a 7″ screen, but here’s one for under $150 and it has 800×480 resolution screen (at an impressive 133dpi) to boot. This 7 inch Touch Screen GPS (CVMF-CS34) is part GPS and part media centre. It will pair with your phone via Bluetooth and do the usual answer and hang up calls, but it also has an FM transmitter for caller playback over the stereo. It also has a built-in microphone.

These Zeal Transcend ski googles have got all sorts of high-faluting, high-tech doo-dads in them. First there’s GPS so you know where you are and how far it is to the ski bar. There’s also a temperature gauge, speedometer, clock and a stopwatch. The best bit is it’s all displayed inside the anti-fog coated goggles. There’s a whole world of information coming with later versions including maps, text, caller ID, video camera etc. Currently there are two versions, a low-light photochromatic version for US$450 and a polarized version for US$350. Both available for pre-order.

The Bushnell Backtrack is GPS in its simplest form. Switch it on and hit a button to store your current location and turn it off. After you get where you’re going, hit the button to recall your starting point, the distance to it and then just follow the arrow home. It only has two buttons and it can be used to store 3 locations (home, car and favourite) so it’s so easy to use. It has a built-in electronic compass that works while you stand still, it uses the brilliant SiRF Star III GPS chip, is weather-resistant, comes in 4 colours and needs 2 AAA batteries.

Garmin, an old name when it comes to navigational devices, are back in the market with a couple of new devices – the Garmin Oregon 450t and 450 touchscreen. Both models will target the outdoor enthusiast, as they boast compatibility with the entire online community at Garmin Connect while supporting Garmin’s free Custom Maps utility that is useful for transferring paper or digital maps onto your compatible handheld. Sounds pretty neat, eh? With both models supporting touchscreen technology, you are able to navigate through a glove-friendly touchscreen interface.

The BUGbase is a tiny Linux computer which comes with 4 slots for add-ons. The base unit features Bluetooth, a chunky rechargeable battery, USB, Ethernet, microSD slot and a tripod mount, and you can add modules to beef it up with things like GPS, WiFi, colour touchscreen, audio and motion sensing.

The Car Cam Dually is a dash mounted unit which features not just one digital video camera, but two. One facing the oncoming juggernaut, the other recording your look of terror as you take desperate evasive action. Only 1.3 megapixel resolution so the grimace will be a bit grainy, but hey, it comes with a free G-Shock sensor, integrated GPS compass and SD slot for additional memory storage, so stop with the whining. $385.00.

There’s a nifty little device being sold at Best Buy which keeps track of your kids everywhere they go. It’s called the Little Buddy GPS Tracker and it uses global satellite positioning and cellphone technnology to help parents keep track of kids. And the best part is, parents can place the Little Buddy just about anywhere from backpacks to lunch boxes to even stick it into their pockets when they aren’t looking.

Don’t you just love progress in technology that has enabled us to live a much more relaxed life, having devices and gadgets to ease the way we do things? Imagine that in the past, dad who took photos of all the family vacations had to then send those negatives to the nearby photo shop to have them developed.

The GPSport 245 is like a heads up display for your outdoor lifestyle. With cycling, walking, running and vehicle modes it displays your position, speed, altitude, distance traveled and the obligatory calorie counter. You can synchronise your travels with Google Maps, save your log data and keep track of 200,00 waypoints. It’ll run for 28 hours on a charge without the backlight on and it’s waterproof. It also comes with a universal mount. US$115 from Brando.

You know those GPS bugs they use in the movies with the handy, easy-to-see red light, usually placed in the wheel arch of the bad guy’s car? Well it turns out they’re real and they don’t have self-defeating red lights on them, they’ve got a little yellow cat.